The Words the Wind Carries
by Lotus Star Bloom
Summary: All roads lead to all others, and they all lead back to some singular, nebulous point, preoccupying our fantasies. As life reaches out and twists like the branches and roots of a tree, we marvel and laugh in the beauty of how, sometimes, reality makes no sense. Had you told Jalen how his story would end, he would have smiled. And asked, "Yeah. But how did I get there?"


Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. I'm too tired to write something witty here. Plox enjoy.

It was the crisp, seducing scent of the ocean breeze that first welcomed them to the seaside. Breaking through the last vanguard of untamed wilderness, they were greeted by the sight of a port city winding down to the end of its day. A few house lights had turned on, and an orange sun hid low behind the outline of the full, blue sea, painting the sky with shades of yellows, pinks and purples. Waves slowly tumbled onto the shore, spilling themselves out before retreating back into the ocean. Three fatigued figures lumbered their way across the border of the city, the largest of them collapsing as soon as he set foot within the town's limits. He was lanky and light skinned. Sweat beaded off the clumped tendrils of his mouse brown hair and rained down on the burnt orange hue of the earthen path before him. Fingers dug deep into the ground, as he expelled one last heavy breath from the deepest recesses of his lungs, and with the last of his energy, placed a firm, confident kiss upon the ground which lay before him.

"We're here..." he panted out in disbelief. "Thank whatever God is out there, we're finally here." Tears of joy trickled out of the corners of his eyes as the last reserves of energy vanished and his body finally gave way to the exhaustion which had completely consumed his body. First the arms, then the legs, as finally, every inch of his body clung intimately to the road, refusing to move.

The smallest of the group, an olive-skinned, chocolate haired beauty, stomped over to him and conjured to herself a strength that had been, oddly, missing during that entire journey and lifted him from the top handle of his traveling bag. You'd be forgiven for mistaken him to be the shorter one. When her steel grey eyes pierced into his hazel orbs, the full force of her personality manifested, a heavy, weighing presence permeating the air. "Warren..." she began, poisoned-honey drenching every silky word that emanated from her pink, full lips. "I did you the favor of wheel-barrowing you to the Pokémon Center at Goldenrod." She brought him closer, the edge of her hot, sticky breath tickling the tip of his nose. Her eyes bored deeper into his, as the saccharine sound of her words froze and chilled her tone "The only way I'm moving you from here to the closest Pokémon Center is by counting how many kicks it takes to move one lanky, delusional, melodramatic sloth from point A to point B before he passes out from blood loss." Her eyes closed as the ends of her lips tugged to form a deceptively sweet smile. "Ok?" She asked, the old sweetness returning to her voice.

Warren gave an audible gulp and a shaky nod as she released him. "Jeez Olivia. Take it easy," he snickered. "You keep stressing out like this and you're going to end up adding to the wrinkles already spreading all over your forehead." Before she decided to replace his face with her foot, the third figure grabbed Olivia from behind, holding her as a flurry of feet and fists fought with the air. Toned, tan arms wrapped around her torso as she fought the vice grip of the third companion. He knew he just couldn't let her go. Once she was done with Warren, it'd be him next, and after such an arduous journey to Olivine, he would like to appreciate the wild undertow and cold bite of the sea before he succumbed to the beautiful Miss Olivia Escobar's infamous left hook. _I should really know better than to mess with her though. _He thought. _Entangling myself with Muay Thai expert is the best way to invite unnecessary pain and suffering into my life._

"Jalen, I swear to GOD! I WILL BREAK YOUR SHINS WITH MY SHINS IF YOU DON'T LET ME GO!" Lashing an elbow out at Jalen's shoulder, she finally broke his hold on her as he crumpled to the ground holding his now throbbing arm. _That's totally gonna leave a bruise in the morning. _Ice blue eyes scanned the panorama, but almost immediately squinted shut as an itchy feeling began to scratch away at his eyes. A cloud of dust obscured his view of the rest of the town. Most likely Warren decided that exacerbating whatever pain had accumulated in his joints was the healthier of the alternatives to waiting to be given a pounding to the face by their favorite spitfire. Dusting himself off, Jalen began to chase after them before he tripped over what he at first assumed was the squarest rock anyone had ever come across. _You bastard, Warren. _Arm quaking, he lifted his companion's travel pack and slinged it across his chest, wincing at the slow burn of his aching muscles. _If Olivia's not done with you herself, I'm entitled to a couple of potshots. _

What should have been a short, one day trip from Ecruteak to Olivine had sprawled into a five-day hunt when Olivia had _sworn_ she'd seen a Heracross along Route 38. The first two days had consisted of Warren showing off his essentially non-existent tracking skills by leading them well off the well-worn path and into a heavily wooded area somewhere to the west of Ecruteak. Warren's pride and Olivia's stubborn demeanor would have continued the fiasco had the afternoon of the third day not brought a torrent of rain so heavy that whatever spare clothes and food they had had stashed away in their packs had been soaked beyond salvation. Thankfully, whatever delusions Warren had begun to confront concerning his "skills" were post-poned, as he claimed that whatever trail he had been following had been washed away by the rain, and that their hunt for the elusive Heracross had simply become hopeless. Turning back was the obvious option, though the rain had put a literal damper on those plans since Warren could now no longer find the path back OUT of the forest, and after a particularly cruel gust of wind slashed open their tent in the middle of the third night, the only shelter they were able to find was an absolute colossus of a tree. It was taller than Ecruteak's famous Bell Tower, and was easily as wide as any house they had come across throughout their journeys across the continent. It would have been the perfect hideout, too. Had it not been for a nasty nest of Beedrill that descended upon them in a hurricane of fury and sharp, pointy death.

Their legs beat down through the mud like pounding jackhammers. With piston-like efficiency, the trio bolted through the forest, their only indication of the passage of time the first rays of dawn breaking over the horizon as the cold bullets of rain subsided and the swarm of Beedrill began pulling back. The utter relief of the breaking dawn, however, was short lived as the first steps on the open meadow were met by angry war cry of an incoming Taurus. This wouldn't have been a problem for an accomplished Pokémon trainer. Normally. But as soon Jalen tossed out his Pokéball, a short buzz and red blink of its light indicated that...

"OH MY GOD OUR BALLS AREN'T WORKING!" The wild bull bellowed, a red-eyed stare boring into the hysterical, wild eyes of the wet and trembling Warren. The ground cracked beneath its weight as a hoof pounded into the ground. Dust flew as another hoof ground down the earth beneath it, and acted as the only warning that it's singular, obsessive aim was to see the poor trainer pulverized underneath it. Muscular legs crushed grass and dirt underfoot, as the robust pokémon tore through the field, horns locked onto the lanky Warren as he dove head first into the nearest bush, completely unfazed by the gnarls and thorns ripping into his skin as the Tauros stomped into the ground right where his body had once stood. All pretenses to danger aside, Jalen dove straight for his malfunctioning pokéball. A wet hand met the cold steel of the ball, and an unshakable shock burned through his body as the sphere gave off a paralyzing jolt, rooting him into place. The Tauros bore its hot brown eyes into his as an ear-piercing roar was the only warning he was going to get of it's continuing onslaught. Olivia, never one to buckle under pressure, dove after the bronze-skinned trainer, crashing both of them into the grass while the Tauros was left furious with another missed charge. It wouldn't miss a third time though. Rearing back and letting loose another thundering cry, it rampaged madly toward the pair.

"Rookie..." Olivia grated out as she covered and squeezed the contorted body of her blue-eyed companion. "Looks like I'll never get to pay you back for Vermillion." Steel and Ice colored eyes squeezed shut, a cold dread shivering their bodies. The cantankerous thrashing of the Taurus thundered harrowingly echoing endlessly as the adrenaline pumping itself through Jalen's veins caused his last moments to slow to a crawl. A jumble of images: a dancing of carnival lights, the fleeting feeling of pink, silky lips pressing a whisper against his, the ringing shot of rockets as fire exploded in the sky, inundated him in memory as death marched on toward him. The looming uproar was not even a whisper as unspoken words and last regrets left him hollow and transfixed in wonder. The leaves ended their descent from the trees, and the breeze eeked out a last breath as everything sludged to silent halt.

"Jalen..." a shakey, bewildered voice exhaled. His eyes creaked open. What happened next proved to Jalen without a shadow of a doubt that all that bad karma had to balance out in the end. For in front of both of them, holding back the Tauros with its barehands, stood an elated and proud Heracross. Winding back, the Heracross bashed its horn against the bull's head, a cracking sound erupting from the meeting of their skulls. The wild Taurus shrieked in pain, a trickle of blood running down its face as it reared back and leapt into its charge again. It came at them barreling, the now familiar earthquake of its steps no longer as paralyzing as they had once been. Legs staggered apart, arms stretched forward, their insect hero intercepted its devil horns without giving an inch of ground. Blue fingers tightened around the ivory spears, and with a joyous cry, Heracross heaved the mighty bull into the air, an angry, alarmed shriek piercing the sky as it landed yards away. Staggering up, its bloodthirsty eyes bored into Heracross' happy, determined ones. Tail turned and head low, the Taurus fled into the grove surrounding the meadow, a defiant, final roar its only mark of defeat.

Once the low rumble of its gallop had completely faded into the distance, Heracross turned to face the duo behind him. "HERACROSS!" it laughed out as it extended a hand toward the two kneeling trainers. Olivia, however, placed her own hand on her knee and forewent the assistance offered by the large beetle. Her exhausted grey eyes measured up every inch of the Herculean beetle before her, and only halted when they caught the stare of his yellow eyes staring right back. In silence, they stared, taking in every detail of each other, he memorizing the tiny scar slightly etched into the skin of her right cheek, she fixing the small crack at the top of his tall, proud horn into her mind. "HERAAAAA-" He started as he raised both arms triumphantly in the air. "CROSS!" They smiled at each other.

"Rookie." She called out, eyes never leaving Heracross'. "Toss me a ball. He's coming with us."

"Umm." Warren interrupted as Jalen reached for his bag. "Maybe you guys let it slip your mind, seeing as you were nearly skewered by a Taurus not 5 minutes ago, but none of our balls are working."

"Fuck me, tell me you're not being serious right now Warren." Fatigue covered Olivia's voice, the last inches of her energy drained. "You're a tech, can't you do something about the Pokéballs?"

"Sorry Oli. Pokéballs and capturing technology are nowhere near my specialties. Even if I manage to get one operational, there's no telling what it might do to the Pokémon once inside, in case I've crossed any wires incorrectly or if the malfunction is a fail-safe for anything that might be wrong with any of the other functions of the ball."

"And while I hate to say it." Jalen butted in. "We really have to forego capturing this Heracross if we run the risk of causing it any serious injuries by shoving it into a not fully-functional Pokéball. I got shocked by just touching the outside. Imagine what it could do to Heracross if you shoved it inside that ball. Probably a lot worse than just a singed hand."

"So that's it you guys?" She stormed. "We've spent four days fighting against monsoon levels of rain, winds strong enough to rip roots right out of the ground, escaping hoards of aggressive, poisonous Pokémon and one very angry Taurus that would have loved nothing more than to have a Jalen-Olivia shish kabob dinner tonight, and at the end of it, when we finally FINALLY find a Heracross, I just have to let him go?"

"Look, if it makes you feel any better, we'll at least check over the rest of the balls we have to see if there are any that are still working," Jalen offered as he tipped over his ball pouch. "Or, you might just get lucky," he chuckled. Making his way to the confused trainer, he pressed a metal, blue topped ball into her hand. A foxy grin split his face. "Never thought I would ever put this to good use, but I'm glad I kept it around."

"Are you going to take your hand off and let me see it then?" Which, Jalen had come to know, translated to _thanks Rookie, I owe you one. _Grin still plastered on his face, he removed his hand, and let her eyes feast upon the glory of their single working Pokéball. Grey lines criss-crossed a turquoise top, the undeniable signs that in her hands, she held a Net Ball. "I figure, if these were made to catch water types, they had better be water proof as well," he continued.

Determination replaced the red-eyed exhaustion laced in Olivia's eyes. "Alright rookie. Let's hope you're right on this one." She looked back at the Heracross one last time. "You still sure you wanna join us? It's our job to drag these two geniuses out of whatever trouble they get into whenever they're in over their heads." A curt nod was the only response she needed. "Well then, welcome to the team, Heracross."

"Ma'am, if you would please put him down, I'm sure we can come to some kind of agreement over all of this!" As Jalen approached the center of town, a tumultuous stand-off had sprawled out from the inside of the Pokémon Center out onto Olivine's streets. He was hoping he'd have been slow enough to avoid the coming confrontation between the spitfire and the twig, but their combined exhaustion must have slowed down Warren enough to keep him from locking himself inside the men's restroom before Olivia caught up to him. A nurse stood beside them, exasperation and worry scrawled on her face. Her arms flung themselves at Olivia, trying and failing to find a way to pry her off of her taller counterpart. Dirt kicked up as Warren's leg stumbled around, both figures consumed by violent fits of coughing as the technician lost his balance and tumbled onto the surface. His air supply depleted by inches, reminding him that yes, there was still an infuriated martial arts master stuck to his back trying to break him. It was a blessing in disguise, if Jalen really thought about it. He wouldn't have to listen to Olivia's half-hour rant about how she was pretty, damn it, and that Warren could go suck on a growing list of things that had become so vulgur that Jalen's brain short-circuited in order to protect itself from his over-active imagination's decision to paint very vivid portraits of said objects in grotesque detail.

The nurse latched onto his arm. "Aren't you going to do something to stop them?" Jalen shook his head in the negative.

"To be honest, he kind of deserves it. He's been toeing the line with Olivia all the way since Goldenrod. A good beating is what the both of them need." As her mouth opened to protest, Jalen continued, "Plus, she's not going to leave any permanent damage. Maybe leave some bruises that will take weeks to go away. But she won't break his bones or completely rearrange his face. She loves us a little too much for that."

As Warren staggered back to his feet, Olivia remained clinging to him, an arm snaking its way around his esophagus and constricting. "Come on, Warren." She hissed. "Your air supply is gonna run out pretty soon," Olivia yelled as a crowd began to gather around them right outside the door of the Pokémon Center. "Say it, or I'll beat you even harder once you wake up." Her feet flung out as he twisted from one side to another, violent shakes his last resort on an Olivia who was slowly gaining the advantage.

"Alright," he wheezed. "Alright. I owe you," he continued, his breath hitching as he summoned the last bits of air his lungs had stored," five free slots... at the game corner... the next time we go."

"And?" Olivia demanded, as she slid down off of Warren's back.

"And I'm carrying your pack on our trip out of Olivine to the next city."

"Good," she said as she walked back through the door of the Pokémon Center, a cautious nurse in tow.

"You're lucky a choke was all you got. For all the shit you've been giving her lately, I'm surprised she didn't bruise your joints and leave you to drag yourself to the nearest hospital." Jalen tossed Warren his bag, catching the lanky trainer unaware, unbalancing him and sending him straight on his ass. "Sorry about that," Jalen chuckled as he grabbed Warren's hand and helped him back up. "Can't say you didn't deserve that one either."

"Hey, I'm your tech. Don't you think I should get leeway in the 'giving you guys shit' department? This journey would be so much harder without me."

"Warren, we already let you get away with thinking you can guide us on anything that doesn't have a path and requires a map."

"Fair enough. The nearly food-less, rain drenched five days were a good fifty to seventy five percent my fault. Olivia gets forty to thirty percent for being dangerously obsessed with fighting-type Pokémon, and as per the original agreement, you shoulder the rest of the blame for dragging us on this crazy adventure anyway."

"Deal!" Jalen grinned as he offered his hand. Dragging his hand up, Warren met it and gave a weak squeeze. "Time to go collapse. It's gonna be a long day tomorrow."

Dawn's orange rays broke over the horizon as the trio took their first step out of the Pokémon Center. Sleep had taken him almost immediately as he had reached the beds, legs giving way as Jalen collapsed completely and utterly fatigued onto the clean, soft sheets the Center had provided. Jalen was certain he'd never been so happy to finally have four walls and air conditioning surrounding him. After four years of adventuring, that was easily one of the closest calls he'd ever had, maybe as close as the time he'd been surrounded and attacked by that mob of wild Duskulls when he was much much younger. That still remained, to this day, the most terrified he had ever been his entire life.

"Hey you!" The yell ripped Jalen away from his thoughts as a brown-skinned youth approached the group. Decked out in a white gi with a black belt wrapped around his waist, the obvious conclusion was that he was a martial artist. "Your movements yesterday impressed me. You have the fire of a true fighter. How about you test your skills against mine?"

Olivia placed her hands on her hips. "You must not know who you're dealing with if you'd just boldly walk up to me in public and demand a fight." She smirked. "I'm Olivia Escobar. The heiress to Saffron City's fighting gym. I eat, breathe and dream martial arts and fighting-type Pokémon. If you want a battle, I'll make sure it's one that'll make you blush everytime you remember it."

"I really don't care who you are." The male fighter retorted. "If I can't beat you, I'm just not good enough and that's all there is to it." He ripped two Pokéballs off of his belt, one with each hand. "One-on-one battle. You choose any three of yours, and I'll go with any three of mine. What do you say?" A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.

"Your gym battle can wait, rookie." She gestured to the open field across from the Pokémon Center. "I've been itching to knock someone's confidence down a couple of pegs. Besides, you always have all the fun." She positioned herself across the field from the martial artist, arms at her side, eyes sizing up her opponent. The gi and the earlier conversation gave him away as a specialist in fighting type Pokémon. Typically, Jalen noted, Olivia would never accept a fight from someone with the bravado to openly challenge an unknown opponent right as they walked out of a Pokémon Center. But he imagined two things must be driving her. The first would be her itch to try out her new Heracross. The second, and probably the more important of the motivations, would be that she never backed down from a fight against a tough opponent. This guy had scouted her out, if the introduction were any indication. He had given thought to the battle, and whether he wanted to have it or not. But more importantly, he knew the type of trainer he was up against, and wanted to measure himself against that standard. This wasn't a brash trainer with an ego.

"I'm likin' this guy already," Jalen whispered over to Warren. "Olivia has the tendency of underestimating her opponents."

"Yeah, but she has every reason to," Warren rebutted. "She probably has the least amount of losses out of the three of us, and she has most of her type weaknesses covered. Her improvisational skills are definitely top-notch."

"She's really only had to improvise from ruts she's created herself. She likes to toy with her opponents a lot, and she's been lucky to get away a number of times. If she messes up too badly this time, I don't know if she'll be able to find a way back. Look at this guy's stance. Eyes unwavering, back straight, but not betraying the slightest bit of tension. He exudes cool confidence. It takes experience and self-belief to wear that kind of attitude so non-chalantly."

Olivia unzipped the pouch resting on the side of her hip and plucked out a Pokéball. "Alright. It's been a couple of days, and I've been itching for a good battle. And I like your spirit. What's your name?"

"Jamaal," was all he stated.

"Okay Jamaal. Let's get this started then. On the count of three." She lifted three fingers. One by one, she pulled them down until when she hit zero, each threw out their Pokéballs. As the white light emitted from the balls receded, the two Pokémon became clear to their opponents: one seemed bird-like in appearance, a green mushroom cap topping his head and small, red claws extending out from the main body, and jutting from the end of its tan tail, three green cloverleaves extended out.

"Hitmonlee. Bulk-Up." Eyes shut in concentration, Hitmonlee brought his arms waist level, exhaling and loosening all of the tension in his muscles. Eyes cut wide open, as the muscles in his arms and legs bulged and tensed. Legs bent and crouched low to the ground, it stared back at the mushroom Pokémon, daring it to make a move. A zen awareness surrounded the Hitmonlee like an aura, completely aware of its environment. With one hand, it motioned toward his opponent. _Come._

"Alright Breloom. Let's start this out like always." Breloom gave her trainer a curt nod. Head erect, claws spread wide and back, it bellowed a war cry as it pounded its legs into the ground and charged full force at the Hitmonlee. Wind whipped around Breloom as it picked up speed, but Hitmonlee did not seem the least bit startled by the mushroom's speed. As it closed in, Jamaal already had his next command on the ready.

"Big mistake, Olivia. As a fighting type trainer, you should know that Breloom's are typically slower than Hitmonlee's. Dodge and counter with a rolling kick." As Breloom rocket toward Jamaal's Pokémon, the Hitmonlee cocked his leg into position, ready to force the mushroom into a 180 turn before taking advantage of its exposed backside. The moment she pierced the range of his aura, he'd whip her around before she even laid a hair on his body. Five seconds... four seconds... three... two...

"Breloom, let a rip!" Halfway into the Hitmonlee's range, dust exploded from under Breloom's mushroom cap, caking the area in a dense yellow cloud of particles. The three talons of Hitmonlee's left foot swung passed by Breloom's beak by mere millimeters. And as the kicking fiend inhaled, his body seized up. Muscles locked into position and whatever movements he could make were disjointed and robotic. "Perfect Stun Spore Breloom!" Olivia complemented. "What was that you were saying earlier Jamaal?" she taunted. "Something about your Hitmonlee being faster than my Breloom?" Jamaal remained unmoved, coal black eyes locked in on the battle. "Alright then Breloom, let's go long range. Leech Seed!"

Jamaal reacted quickly. "We don't have time to bulk you up Hitmonlee. Let's finish with a Blaze Kick!" Hitmonlee's right leg began quaking violently as the earth beneath him began to crack. Sweat steamed off as his leg erupted in a fury of flames. Ducking low on his right leg, he launched himself at Breloom, every intention of knocking her head clean off.

But as he closed in on Breloom, the tension in his muscles seized up his legs again. Constricting and pulling back toward his body, the flames extinguished themselves. All it took was a split second, as he collapsed himself to the ground and was left completely unguarded for bullet-speed seed to imbed itself in him. Vines shot out and wrapped themselves around him, inch by inch sapping away at his strength. "Seems like Breloom's got your Hitmonlee's number. That's two hits on you, and zero on me."

"Battles aren't over until they're over, and Hitmonlee's not done just yet. Hitmonlee, Focus Energy!" Meditating as before, Hitmonlee closed its eyes as a green aura surrounded its body and layered itself through him. The tension in his muscles still spasmed sporadically, but it failed to interrupt him. Exhaling, his lids creaked open just in time to see Breloom crouched beneath him, claw aimed dead center toward his abdomen. She shot up, fist bulleting him into the air. Hitmonlee tumbled upward, dazed from the Breloom's critical hit.

"3 on zero, Jamaal. This is where we finish it. Another Sky Uppercut!"

"Hitmonlee, use gravity's downward descent to stabilize a Blaze Kick!"

As it twirled through the air, directionally disoriented, Hitmonlee could still make out the commands of his friend. This time, he would not miss. The violent shaking of his right leg twisted him right into the path of the incoming Breloom, a magma hot foot smacking her across the face, out of the air and skidding her across the ground. The hit had been inch perfect, a product of Hitmonlee's complete faith in Jamaal's tactics, and Jamaal's faith in Hitmonlee's abilities. Hitmonlee landed with a thud, knee crashing into the ground as his right leg lost balance, tensing up from the paralyzing spore still running through his body.

"Exactly what I was talking about," Jalen whispered over to the trio's technician. "Breloom was lucky to have evaded the first Blaze Kick. Were I Olivia, I would have immediately switched out to my fire-type after the Leech Seed, and saved the Breloom as a status inflicter. Neither of her other Pokémon were a great match up to Hitmonlee, and now, they're back to even."

Quivering, but still conscious, Breloom stumbled upright. A jolt of energy shot up her body, as what little health she had left in her reserves were enhanced by a small donation from Hitmonlee. That Leech Seed had been her saving grace. And no doubt the effects were doubled now the Hitmonlee was only hanging on by a thread. "Breloom, we can't let him recover. Beat him to it. Mach Punch!" Forcing its remaining energy into its legs, Breloom homed in on the kneeling Hitmonlee. Claw glowing, she shot out him, connecting directly between Hitmonlee's eyes. She landed back on her hind legs, receiving another shot of energy from the Hitmonlee. The kicking fiend rolled back, eyes performing figure eights from his disorientation. It placed a hand on one knee, and righted itself one last time. Staring back out at the Breloom, it felt the last reserves of its energy sapped out by the leech seed. Knees buckling, it fell face first into the dirt. With recovered strength, the still standing Breloom blew out a triumphant cry, "BREEEEEELOOM!"

"Mere inches separated our first Pokémon," Jamaal said. "Let's see how you fair against my second." A sinister looking blue Pokémon replaced the downed Hitmonlee. Orange red spikes extended from each of its hands, and a pouch of the same color protruded from its neck. Yellow eyes menaced the weakened Breloom, as it ducked down on all fours, betraying a frog like appearance. "We need to end this quickly Toxicroak. You're faster. Get that Toxic Jab in!"

Betraying no hesitation, Toxicroak stormed toward the staggering Breloom, red spike outstretched and glowing with only one destination. "You only have on shot at this Breloom. Leech Seed!" Feinting left, Breloom dragged the Toxicroak into changing his attack's direction before quickly maneuvering back right in hopes of evading the attack. Only being at half energy though, had come at a cost. Rather than dodge completely, the Toxicroak's claw had come down and scraped down the side of Breloom's left leg, enough to cause damage, but not enough to completely cripple it. That was enough for her. As Toxicroak's claw became caught in the ground, Breloom took the opportunity to plant a seed on the frog's exposed back. As they had with Hitmonlee, vines shot out and ensared the poison frog, beginning the process of slowly inching away at his energy.

"Your tactics are going to become fairly predictable if that's the only trick you've got." Though another one of his Pokémon had been seeded, a straight brow and concentrated eyes did not betray an anxiety in Jamaal.

"I'll stick with what works, thanks." Olivia replied. "You did good, girl. Return." Ripping two Pokéballs out of her pouch, Olivia used one to recall the tiring Breloom. A red beam shot out at the bipedal mushroom, atomizing her and vacuuming her back into her ball. "You're good Jamaal, but I'll show you how large the gulf is between the good and the great. Go Monferno!" She lashed the second Pokéball into the space where her Breloom had once been. An orange monkey, tail aflame and dancing with excitement, erupted from it, eyes darting until they found his opponent.

"Toxicroak. Rain Dance." Grey clouds rumbled overhead, coming together to obscure the proud, blazing sun and taint the sky a dark navy hue. Droplets poured down from the heavens. Thick globs of water blinded him to the battle going on fifteen feet in front of him. The constant pattering of rain hitting earth echoed through his head, recalling haunting memories of days before. _I'm really not ready to deal with this level of rain yet. _

"GODDAMNIT! I CAN'T TAKE ANYMORE RAIN THIS WEEK!" Jalen could only make out penumbras behind the layers of rain, but without a doubt the one pounding the ground and stamping her feet had to be Olivia. "YOU BETTER RUN WHEN WE'RE THROUGH HERE! MY BOOT HAS YOUR NAME WRITTEN ALL OVER IT!" The blue-eyed trainer shivered. While their ponchos provided decent protection against the precipitation, the mental traumas from the week exacerbated the effects the rain had on the battle. Echoing his thoughts, Warren dropped his pack and slung out an umbrella from the side pocket.

"Snatched it from the Pokémon Center," he explained. "Figured it'd be silly of us to keep relying on just our ponchos after that disaster." Releasing the lock, plastic blades mushroomed over them. Droplets pelted down like bombs. A curtain of rain hazed their vision, blocking their view of the battle. "Oh, take these." Warren continued. "I tinkered around a bit with our Go-Goggles the other night. You should be able to make them out behind all of the rain."

A kaleidoscope of reds, oranges and blues danced in front of him as Jalen caught the continuation of the battle. Monferno stood as tall as a three foot monkey possibly could. Rain splattered against his forehead, but he neither shivered nor shied away. Toxicroak however, was fairing much better than the steely-nerved fire monkey. The poison frog's movements had become more fluid, and his breathing more easy. With each passing second, its actions became more deliberate.

"Dry skin." Jamaal shouted over the thundering of the rain. "As long as it's raining, Toxicroak gains back any health that he's lost. Negating the sapping effects of your leech seed. And my Toxicroak is still faster than your Monferno." Taking that as his cue, Toxicroak raised his fists in front of him, left arm extended out ready to parry and attack, his right shielding the side of his face. It stood patient in stance, and as Hitmonlee before him, allowing himself to become intimately aware of the environment around him. Muscles relaxed, tension gone, it was ready. "Stone Edge Toxicroak! Cut him off before he can move!"

"Dig!" Monferno dove underground as Toxicroak's bright red spike impaled the ground right where he had stood. Behind him, the ground split and erupted upward, Monferno breaking through the layer of soft earth, claws aimed at his opponent. He'd been expecting that. In a burst of speed, it twisted around, firing a fast hit straight into Monferno's gut. The monkey coughed at the hit, tumbling backward before his hands corrected themselves and he back-flipped himself back into position. Another fist clocked him across the cheek, much weaker than the last time, but with enough force to leave a sting.

"Bullet Punch might not be very effective against Monferno, but if you can't retaliate, it's just as effective as a one-hit knock out." Hits machine gunned at him, his only thoughts occupied on dodging the raid of punches aimed at him. Their dance was entirely close quarters, giving each other only inches of space as Monferno slid and snaked his limbs around the chaining punches of the imposing Toxicroak. Though his health was slowly being restored by leech seed, Monferno could still feel the sting of the first Bullet Punch that bruised his ribs.

"We have to get off the back foot Monferno! Start trading blows with Mach Punch." Ducking the last hit, it delivered a blow straight to Toxicroak's pouch. Barely winded, Toxicroak aimed a Bullet Punch straight back at him, smashing and bruising his cheek. Monferno winced but didn't let up, trading a mach punch right back at him. The Toxicroak's size, however, was starting to play in his favor. Catching another Mach Punch to the face, Toxicroak cranked back and unleashed a crunching hit upside Monferno's chin. He let out a wince as the force of the knock lifted him into high into the air, paralyzing him.

"It was a mistake counting me out so early in the battle," Jamaal taunted. "I'm going to repay that arrogance of yours. Toxicroak, concentrate and aim high." Shooting his head toward the sky, his eyes pinpointed the floating figure of Olivia's Monferno. Crouched low, his legs began to quake as he focused all of his energy on connecting with that Monferno. He flew out like a shot, locked on and rocketing toward his opponent. Fist cocked. Spike aglow. "Stone Edge." Muscles clenched, and Toxicroak unleashed his fist across the Pokémon's face. Eyes fluttered shut before he even hit the ground. Mud caked his flame orange fur. His breathing was easy. Toxicroak landed low to the ground, concentrated on the motionless form of Monferno.

A red beam shot out and engulfed the ape, breaking him into trillions of tightly packed molecules and vacuuming the particles back into his Pokéball. Toxicroak remained crouching low, yellow eyes fixed on the Pokéball, waiting for his next opponent to spring out. The familiar green mushroom cap of Breloom announced her presence, staggered breathes revealing her exhaustion. Toxicroak's own breathing was erratic, jagged inhalations scratching against the coagulating mucous lined along his throat. The downpour he had summoned began to ease, droplets in singular descent, murky grey clouds parting and unleashing the arid heat of a blaring sun.

Out of breath, their options were limited. If Toxicroak didn't act fast, Breloom would keep draining his reserves. If Breloom was sloppy, a single poisoned strike would be enough to end him and swing the advantage in Jamaal's favor. They both burst at each other, wakes of dust trailing behind them. Claws glowed. Eyes locked. They didn't need commands from their trainers. They knew exactly what each one would have ordered them to do. Bones crunched. Fists collided with faces. Bodies tumbled one on top of the other, plopping into the mud, eyes in swirls. A double knock out.

Wordlessly, they recalled their downed Pokémon. Down to a one-on-one. Jamaal's fingers danced between the last two balls on his belt, uncertain of which one to make the final choice of this encounter. Olivia already had her choice tightly gripped around her calloused fingers, white knuckles betraying her frustration. She had played with her food a little too much. An Acrobatics from Monferno could have easily taken out Toxicroak, but she wanted to fit in as much experience for him as possible into their battle. It had cost her. And now she was going to send in Pokémon with whom she had absolutely no experience against a centered and mature opponent. Jalen knew Olivia was capable of pulling of the win. She had come away from closer battles than this. She only seemed to get better when her back was against the wall. It all depended on how hard Jamaal pushed her, and more importantly, whether or not she could rein in her world-class arrogance.

In quick draw fashion, both trainers ripped the last balls from their belts and launched them onto the battlefield. As he had predicted, Olivia's choice had been to give Heracross his first battle. Stretching his arms wide and beating his chest with his hands, he howled a vociferous battle cry at the sky and stood waiting for his opponent to finish materializing. What revealed itself caused Olivia's eyes to narrow and her face to harder. A bulky, bipedal pig sneered at his opponent, bright orange flames framing a collar around his brutish visage. Two fearsome tusks jutted from his gaping mouth as his roar battled back against the call of the Heracross.

"Emboar was my very first Pokémon." Jamaal told them. "You've played long enough. I've shown you due respect this entire battle, now I demand you do the same. Or else we'll make short work of you. Treat me as a serious opponent." Olivia remained rooted to her spot, entranced in thought.

"Alright." Cracking her knuckles and stretching her arms out, she loosened her pack from her back and began to concentrate on the final act of the battle. "I've never battled with Heracross before, so you carry the advantage. Don't take the victory for granted though. I'm going to make your life difficult every step of the way."

"Advice I think you should be taking from yourself," Jamaal retorted. "Emboar, Fire Punch."

"Heracross, Aerial Ace!"

They both wanted this battle to end quickly. Olivia would be wary of the experience Jamaal and Emboar had having battled the entirety of their training days together. This was a double-edged sword for Jamaal though. It forced Olivia to take him seriously. And he still hadn't seen her firing on all cylinders. They both wanted to end this before the uncalculated factors exponentiated and spun the battle in unknown directions. Heracross was much faster, almost vanishing from his spot as he blurred across the battle ground, landing a punch square in the fire pig's gut. Emboar's retaliation was immediate. Barely flinching from the hit, a flame-coated fist knocked Heracross across the face, sending him crashing down as Emboar reared back and prepared to unleash another Fire Punch into the still stunned horned beetle. As he released his follow-up attack, a pair of blue hands reached up and held the punch. Even while he was down, Heracross was still fast enough to catch the much slower Emboar's fist.

Heracross wasn't completely uninjured though. The heat emanating from Emboar's body was burning his hands, but if he let up for a second, the punch aimed at his face would finish the battle. His health was depleting quickly, and if it kept up this way, Emboar wouldn't even need to finish his attack to knock him out. But of the two, he was slightly physically stronger than the porcine fighter, and he had to turn that small positive to his advantage. Suppressing the searing pain burning through his body, he conjured the last bits of his strength and suplexed Emboar into the ground behind him. In the split second that the Jamaal's Pokémon remained stunned and planted into the ground, Heracross pounced. With superior speed, he once again vanished from sight, after-images phasing in and out of vision. Leg trembling, Emboar pushed itself onto its feet. He had nowhere near the speed to retaliate, though. The beetle was storming across the field, barely visible. But Emboar didn't need the speed. Sensing the shift in the wind as the horned beetle came within inches of him, he used the last bits of his strength to take up a defensive position, hands crossed over his vulnerable face. And finally, like a specter, Heracross finally showed himself as shoved his fist right into Emboar's gut. Like the split second before a car crash, time froze as both trainers awaited to see the results of the attack.

Heracross' legs gave out first as he collapsed right before Emboar's feet. The burn he had taken from Emboar's Fire Punch had proven costly, sapping away the last bits of his strength. As the fire pig raised its arms in triumph, the last bits of its energy expired as well, dead weight collapsing on top of blue beetle. Neither moved an inch. Neither made a sound. Piercing through the silence, a red beam shot out at atomized and collected the orange and black Pokémon. Olivia glared back into Jamaal's cool demeanor, livid at their draw.

"You should learn to take a loss graciously," taunted his husky voice.

"This wasn't a loss! That was a double knock out!"

"You miss the point. There are clear faults with you as a trainer, as there are with me. But while I embrace and learn to cope with mine, you will bury yours. Were you a more centered, clear-sighted trainer, that battle could have easily been yours."

"Kiss my ass. One-on-one, right now! I haven't even brought out my best Pokémon!"

"I have no desire to continue this. I've learned what I need to in order to further improve upon myself. I suggest you meditate on this battle and learn from it. When we meet again, I hope to fight an improved trainer."

It took both Warren and Jalen's combined strength to hold back Olivia as Jamaal turned his back toward them and marched along the path to the outskirts of the city.

"That bastard. He still had one more on his belt. JAMAAL! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME! LET'S FINISH THIS! ONE-ON-ONE!" Her calls, however, went ignored, as neither voice nor form came from over the opposite side of the hill.

"Get a grip Olivia!" Jalen shouted as he grabbed hold of both of her shoulders and boring his eyes into hers.

"He's rando, rookie! I got held to a draw by a rando!"

"Don't act like it's never happened before. Masters and gym leaders aren't the only incredible trainers out there. You should know that better than anyone." Her eyes glared right back into his. Layers of anger ebbed away, the smolder of her eyes dying out as her hands unclenched and the tension in her shoulders loosened. "You'll beat his ass next time, you got that? But what he said was right. You can't keep walking into battles with your nose turned up." His eyes mellowed as he grinned like a fox, "I remember another battle from a long time ago-"

"Say another word about it, Jalen," she threatened as she gripped the neck of his shirt, "and I'll start thinking about finding a replacement for my punching bag."

"Not another word," he said, pantomiming locking his lips. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips, and she couldn't resist long. Soft, pink lips split as she smiled back at him. The familiar sensation of a heart jolted into ecstatic panic sparked, and before long, he too returned a genuine smile, in full beam.

"Okay, I'm breaking this up before I vomit from the intolerable levels of sweetness you two are generating," Warren cut in. "I have no intention of getting diabetes." Olivia's glare could give anyone frostbite. The sirens wailed through Jalen's subconscience. _Red Alert! Warning! The technician is about to suffer another case of sprained tendons and bruised egos. Immediate extraction is necessary! This is not a test! _ Before Jalen could even open his mouth, Warren had already planned his escape via classic misdirection. "Now Olivia, before I return to my secondary occupation of being your punching bag, and thus derailing us from the lovely day we have planned ahead for us, why don't we return to the actual reason we're in this city."

"Right. The Olivine city gym. You sure you don't want to get anymore training in before you rush in there rookie? I've been _dying _to face you since our last rematch."

"I'm fine. We didn't have too many battles on our way here from Ecruteak, but I think my team is more than ready for this. Besides, you're out looking to avenge your tie from earlier, and I'm not about to engage in one of our typically epic battles between our starting Pokémon. Not when I've got a gym battle waiting for me."

"Suit yourself rookie." Warren and Olivia both stepped to the sides, letting Jalen pass through them. Tilting her head, Olivia motioned in the direction opposite of the hill. "You lead. This one's your adventure." Exchanging smiles, Jalen then turned toward Warren, who only showed his approval with a quick nod.

"By all means, fearless leader. This next battle is all yours."  
-I get this feeling that battle went on much longer than necessary. Especially relative to the other time spent on the other parts of the chapter. Oh well. I hope for intelligent, thought out critiques. Thanks for your time. :)


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